The 2023 Santa Cruz may be funky-looking, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a hugely popular pickup truck. Its diminutive size has proven to be a gap in the market that many people want, and that most automakers are interested in filling. While publications like Consumer Reports have reliability concerns, Edmonds has the Santa Cruz flag held high. Edmunds ranked the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz #1 for.
Is the Hyundai Santa Cruz a good pickup truck?
Santa Cruz ranks first in its class of pickups thanks to its premium interior, long feature list and efficient powertrain.
The Cruze is unique in that it combines the feel of a small SUV with the practicality of a pickup truck. Its bed is only 4 feet long, which allows enough room for some light trucking while maintaining a drive-in friendly look.
Like many trucks today, the Santa Cruz is built using a monocoque chassis. This is the main aspect of what gives Santa Cruz an easy profile. Another aspect of what Edmonds liked about the Hyundai truck was the turbocharged 2.5-liter four-pot making 281 hp. While I suspect many Santa Cruz shoppers are looking for a fast truck, the turbo version can get you to 60 mph in less than 6.5 seconds. There’s also the same 2.5-liter engine but it’s naturally aspirated, making 191 horsepower.
Edmunds also liked the ride’s comfort, writing that it handled road imperfections with elegance. However, wind noise can occasionally improve from an upscale interior.
Why did Edmonds rate Santa Cruz so highly?
There’s clearly a lot to like about the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Edmunds took all of these things into consideration. In fact, several other publications have given it similar reviews. However, Consumer Reports is one of the few reviewers to follow up. Since the model is so new, most people don’t have much to say about reliability.
Consumer Reports did its expected surveys on reliability and found that to be the only real downside to the model. This predictable reliability kept Consumer Reports from rating the truck as highly.
What other minivans are worth considering
As mentioned, the Santa Cruz ranks above other Edmonds pickup trucks. However, there is a catch. Edmunds has only rated two pickups, the Hyundai and.
At the moment this pickup truck game is very simple game. Despite the popularity of the Ford Ranger or the critical success of the Honda Ridgeline, neither is really a pickup truck. There are rumors that Mitsubishi has baited and jumped into the American pickup truck market again by bringing the Mitsubishi Triton back to the United States. This is due to the fact that these two pickup trucks are very popular. The market is clearly hurting smaller, cheaper and more efficient pickups.
But for now, Edmonds made her choice crystal clear.
